Fear of more 'carnage' on Kilkenny road amid 'critical' plea to Taoiseach

With Kilkenny County Council leading the long-awaited N24 project, fears of further 'carnage' on the road were raised in the Dáil as Deputy Mattie McGrath urged the Taoiseach to prioritise funding to keep the scheme alive.

Deputy McGrath is urging the Taoiseach to ensure the scheme is prioritised ahead of the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) national roads allocation for 2026, expected next week.

McGrath told the Dáil that the project is "an essential piece of infrastructure for Tipperary, Waterford, Kilkenny and the whole South-East region."

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He said road safety was a central concern, describing fatality levels as 'a shocking statistic', and highlighting the ongoing 'carnage' on the route.

“The N24 in Tipperary alone, which is just 65km of roadway, or 1% of our county's road network, accounts for 25% of our road deaths,” he said.

“That reality alone demands immediate intervention. One fatality is one too many. We sympathise with all the families.”

Deputy McGrath said the appeal had “the backing of Oireachtas Members across the three counties” and noted that “over the past 20 years, €10.7 million of public money has been spent already on scoping, assessments and everything else.”

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He warned that “without sufficient allocation for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, that investment will be wasted and the project will stall yet again.”

Highlighting Kilkenny’s role, he said: “Kilkenny County Council is the lead authority” and described the N24 as “a lifeline for the entire region, connecting Waterford and Limerick to the ports at Foynes and Rosslare and supporting thousands of daily commuters, freight users and local communities.”

He added that “some €3 million is urgently required this month from the Department to prevent the project collapsing,” and further noted that existing consultant contracts “expire on April 11 so funding is time critical” and that “delivering the first €3 million next week is vital.”

Responding, the Taoiseach said he agreed on the importance of road infrastructure and road safety.

“I could not agree more with the Deputy about the importance of road infrastructure. I always argue that the primary objective is road safety,” he said, adding: “I will talk to the Minister and ask him what his plans are for the N24.”

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The Taoiseach said he would engage with the Minister on the funding position and also noted the role of Kilkenny County Council.

“I think the Deputy said Kilkenny County Council is the lead council and we will engage with it on this,” he said. 

“These roads have to be done. Therefore, anything we can do to get them through the statutory process, we should do.”

In a further contribution, Deputy McGrath repeated that “it is vital the project gets €3 million this year, otherwise the contracts will end on 11 April and the work will stop.”

He also referenced impacts on landowners and the consequences of previous pauses to the project.

“I have been around long enough to have noticed that it was halted in 2002 and 2012, at huge inconvenience to and angst for the landowners and property owners, along with land being sterilised and wide corridors,” he said.

He added that “Kilkenny County Council made a presentation to all Oireachtas Members in the area to keep this alive,” and warned: “If it is shelved again, it will take another ten years.”

The Taoiseach said he heard the concerns “loud and clear” and would speak with the Minister.

“There are not endless sums of money for every road project at the one time but we can progress projects and I will talk to the Minister about this to see what the pressure on him is and what he is in a position to do,” the Taoiseach said.

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